The Boy in the Dungeon
by The Wavesinger
Summary: Because friendship crops up in the most unlikely places. Cannon.


**First off, this is not a slashfic. It's a teacher-student bonding fic.**

**And, also, I don't know whether posting this is alright. My other GA fic, Letters, got only one review. But I'm going to post it anyway, so if my writing sucks, please tell me.**

**Disclaimer—If I were Higuchi Tachibana, Yuka would still be alive.**

'Izumi, I have something for you to do.' Yukihira Kazumi says.

'What is it, Kazu-nii?' Izumi asks.

'In the dungeons of the school, there is a boy…no-one dares to go near him, because of his Alice. It kills everything he touches. I'm afraid that the ESP might use him, and if that happens, who knows what the consequences will be? I need you to take care of him, and teach him the right things.'

'Of course, Kazu-nii. Anything for you.' Izumi grins foolishly.

'Idiot. Here. Take his files.' Kazumi hands over a thick folder.

Izumi flips through it. 'Mark of Death. How does that Alice work?'

'I don't think Mark of Death really fits it. Maybe Corrosion…like I said, that boy can make anything decay.'

'That's weird—but not as weird as the Fart Alice.' Izumi chuckles. 'By the way, what's his name?'

'He doesn't have one.' Kazumi says.

'What? Poor kid.' Izumi says.

'Izumi…don't let the ESP find out.'

'I won't.'

Kazumi nods. 'What about that other student? Koizumi Luna?'

'Oh, her? Yuka's friends with her. She'll be alright.'

'Unless the ESP gets to her head.'

'He won't. Yuka will make sure of that.'

'You trust Yuka too much. She's just a kid.'

'She's smarter than most.'

'Yes, I suppose so. But if the ESP finds out about her Stealing Alice…'

'I'll keep an eye on her, Kazu-nii. Don't worry.'

'Yes…But don't get_ too_ close to her, alright?'

'What do you mean, Kazu-nii?'

Kazumi smiles to himself. 'Nothing.'

'Then why did you say it?'

Kazumi raises his eyebrows. 'Don't you have a kid to take care of?'

'Yeah.' Izumi grins. 'I'll be going, then, Kazu-nii.'

Kazumi watches his brother's retreating back, a ghost of a smile playing on his lips.

'Damn.' Izumi mutters as he walks headlong into another wall. 'This blasted dungeon is too large, and too dark. Hell, I can't even see my own hands.' He gropes around, and, eventually, one hand still on the wall, turns around another corner.

He almost cries out loud, he is so relieved. At the end of the long corridor, there is a light. True, it's small, but it's light. He runs towards it.

'Who is it?' a weak voice calls out.

Izumi stops. The light that comes from a 6 by 6 inch window, dim as it is, is enough to make out a figure of a boy. He is crouching on the floor, clinging to the bars of his cell. 'Who is it?' he asks again.

Izumi realizes that this is the boy. 'I'm a teacher.' he replies.

The boy is silent.

'Hey, you. Are you even listening?' Izumi asks. Still no reply. He gazes at the boy. He is thin, and it's hard, with so little light, to tell his age. Unruly black hair sticks up from his head. His skin is covered by a strange black mark.

'Are you alright?' Izumi opens the door of the cell.

The boy shrinks back.

'It's OK. I'm not going to hurt you.' Izumi says. 'I'll take care of you.'

The boy looks at him for a long while. Finally he says, 'Se—sensei?'

'Yes?'

'What's my name?'

The question is so unexpected that Izumi pauses for a moment, thrown off balance. 'Rei.' he says finally. 'Serio Rei.'

'Rei.' the boy rolls the word around experimentally. 'I like it.'

'I thought you would.'

'Sensei…'

'Yes?'

'Where did you come from?'

'I…' Izumi hesitates. 'Do you remember the world outside?'

'Outside?'

'Where there are lots of pretty things. Trees, flowers, grass. '

'What are they, Sensei?'

'They're wonderful things. I can't explain them to you, but one day I'll take you outside and show you the world. That world…I come from there.'

'Am I a part of it?'

'Yes.'

'Really?'

'Of course, Rei. You're a very important part of it.'

'Important? Am I important?'

'To me you are.' On impulse, Izumi reaches for the boy's hand.

Rei pulls away. 'Don't, Sensei. I don't want Sensei to get hurt.'

'What do you mean, Rei?'

'The people who come and give me food, they won't touch me. They say they'll get black marks all over their body, and they'll die. I don't want Sensei to die.'

'I won't die.' Izumi says gently. He places his arm against Re's face. 'See?'

'But…Sensei, your hand is black.'

'Oh.' Izumi looks down. He concentrates, and, after a moment, the marks fade away. 'I can erase them.'

'But, Sensei, why did those people say that?'

'I can erase your marks, Rei, but they can't.'

'Are they…scared?'

'I suppose so, yes.'

'But why, Sensei? I don't want to hurt them. I don't understand why they're scared.'

Izumi sighs. 'Because if someone can't erase the marks, he might die. And they can't.'

'But I don't want to kill them!'

'I know, Rei.' Izumi hugs the boy.

After a moment, he hugs back.

**I'm not very happy with this story—Izumi and Kazumi are both too OOC, and the flow of events isn't smooth. But I tried to edit it, and it turned into a mess. So…I don't know. I might re-post it later, or something. But only if I'm inspired. So review!**

**Also, I know that Yuka's Stealing Alice hasn't been discovered yet, but Kazumi should know about that, right?**


End file.
